


down by the water.

by katarama



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Breakfast, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Near Future, Niagara Falls date, Pancakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:38:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9822968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katarama/pseuds/katarama
Summary: “It doesn’t even make sense,” Holster had protested on the drive over.  It was an empty protest, and he didn’t pursue it.  After all, the Niagara Falls trip is sacred.  Sure, they may both be living in an apartment in Boston together, now, but it’s Canada’s turn.Ransom conceded a Tim Horton’s trip and agreed to an IHOP one in exchange for the longer drive, because he’s a good boyfriend.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aweekofsaturdays](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aweekofsaturdays/gifts).



“I still can’t believe all the IHOPs are on the Canadian side of the border,” Holster says as he slides into the booth across from Ransom.  “Do they even do pancakes right over here, or do you do them the British, non-pancake way?”

“Dude, of _course_  we do them the right way,” Ransom says.  “We do our pancakes right and we give you non-shitty maple syrup.  You should be glad we’re on the Canadian side.”

“I guess it’s better than going to Timbits,” Holster says.  Ransom can see from the grin forming on Holster’s face that he knows he messed up.  He did it intentionally.  This is absolutely, 100% attempting to rile Ransom up.

It’s working, of course.

“You can’t _go_  to Timbits, that’s like saying you want to _go_  to Munchkins,” Ransom says.  

“Except for the fact that Dunkin’ is better,” Holster says, and Ransom rolls his eyes.

“You’re not even from Boston, you don’t even care that much.”

Holster just laughs his big booming laugh that makes the people from the booth in front of them turn around and stare.  Ransom just kind of shrugs his shoulders at them.  Holster’s been his best friend for going on four years now and his boyfriend for going on four months, and he loves Holster’s big, ridiculous laugh.  He’s not going to apologize for it.

The fact that Holster is just laughing instead of protesting just proves that Ransom is right, anyway.  Ransom isn’t from the U.S., and even after four years at Samwell, he never _quite_  learned what delineates New England from just the Northeast, but he’s pretty sure that Buffalo, New York fully does not fall within that zone.  New York has its own American football teams, Ransom thinks; that means they probably don’t go for the Patriots, which is all the confirmation Ransom needs that being from Buffalo means that Holster shouldn’t have to defend Dunkin’ Donuts.

It does mean sharing this, though.  It means their annual summer day trip to meet each other halfway at Niagara Falls, cutting the long summer in half so they don’t have to miss each other so much.  It means taking turns with which side of the Falls they visit, and since they flipped a coin that first year and Holster called it right, it means that this year, after their senior year, they’re on the Canadian side.

“It doesn’t even make sense,” Holster had protested on the drive over. It was an empty protest, and he didn’t pursue it. After all, the Niagara Falls trip is sacred. Sure, they may both be living in an apartment in Boston together, now, but it’s Canada’s turn.

Ransom conceded a Tim Horton’s trip and agreed to an IHOP one in exchange for the longer drive, because he’s a good boyfriend.

They both get all-you-can-eat pancakes, because between the early morning wakeup and the much, much longer drive from Boston, they’re both hungry.  It honestly isn’t even really appropriate IHOP time, but that’s another part of the tradition; they always grab breakfast.  Besides, it’s 2 PM, so it isn’t like it isn’t edging out reasonable brunch time.

“Do you think we’re going to do this next year?” Holster asks when they’ve both finished up one plate of pancakes.  “The bylaws only say we have to do it through our time at Samwell.  Technically, this could be our last year, and we wouldn’t be jinxing anything.”

And yeah, that’s true.  Ransom knows that once they get past this summer, things are going to get really busy.  Holster has a job lined up that is going to have him working long hours.  Ransom is going to be locked in med school hell, and while he won’t be in class over the summer, he’s pretty sure that that’s the time when he’s supposed to be volunteering, or working in hospitals, or doing something to get practical experience and/or boost his resume.  It’s weird to think that Samwell, with the stress of maintaining his grades and playing hockey and being a good captain and actually having a social life, is probably going to look like a time management cakewalk for the next few years.

It’s also incredibly, incredibly weird to think about the idea of not going to Niagara Falls with Holster.

Ransom knows that the four year rule is written down in the friendship bylaws they wrote one night when they were drunk as shit during their freshman year.  Ransom remembers writing it, remembers putting down four years because he was scared of what might come after.  He was scared that they’d be separated, or that they wouldn’t be friends anymore by the time senior year came around.  He was scared that Holster would realize how stressful he can be and decide to find a less intensely anxious best friend.  He was scared that Holster would realize just how much Ransom relied on him already, just how much Ransom felt like he needed him after only a few months of school.  Ransom was worried that it would scare Holster away to write down, “Visit Niagara Falls together every year for the rest of our lives,” even though Ransom wanted to.

“The fact that you even said technically means we should keep doing it,” Ransom says.

Because Ransom wants that.  Ransom wants to keep the tradition alive, the two of them hanging out by the railing and watching the water go white and rough as it tips down over the edge of the cliff, and the way it turns into fog and spray when it finally crashes down to the bottom and to the water below.  Ransom wants to debate whether it’s worth the money to get the dweeby plastic water ponchos when they go on the little ferry trip around on the water down below, Holster always winning out because he’s wearing his glasses.  Ransom wants to hold Holster’s hand as they find the best place for taking a picture together.  Ransom even wants to let Holster use his terrible selfie stick to get a picture of the two of them kissing in front of the waterfall, Ransom putting his phone away after so it doesn’t get wet from the spray.  

Ransom wants to come back there, in a couple years, and take a different kind of picture, one of Ransom getting down on one knee with a box and a ring, because there’s no more perfect place, no place that is any more _them_.

“We can amend the bylaws,” Holster offers.  “Or make our own new ones.  Those are only the friendship bylaws.”

“What even goes into boyfriend bylaws, bro?” Ransom asks.  “I’m not making rules about kissing, that’s too much even for me.”

“Bylaws are meant to be written drunk, not sober.” Holster says firmly.  “But we can put this in there, for sure.  With no end date.”

They finish their pancakes, and Holster pays.  They drive as close as they can to the falls before they have to park and get out.  They put on sunscreen and walk over together, Ransom using wet wipes to get as much sunscreen off the palms of his hands as he can before holding Holster’s hand.  They go around on the ferry, wearing the ridiculous plastic ponchos.  They watch the water fall for a while before scoping out where they want to take their picture.  

And, this year, for the first time, Ransom leans in and kisses Holster, not even caring whether it’s attractive or photogenic, not even caring if he’s going to look cheesy on Instagram.  

Because he’s mostly just happy, feeling his lips pressed against Holster’s, tasting the maple syrup from brunch and knowing that they’ll be back, together, doing this again next year.

**Author's Note:**

> On tumblr [here](https://polyamorousparson.tumblr.com/).


End file.
